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Talk:The Snow Queen/@comment-74.99.65.62-20170424180720/@comment-74.99.65.62-20170806183409
It's going to be so hard for me to not write a whole essay on Elsa. Not because her ice powers are awesome, not because her situation is unique and interesting, not even because I relate to her. She's just so wonderful and noble. How rare it is to see a feminine or sophisticated heroine being portrayed in a positive way! Normally these types, especially if they're blonde, are condemned as the mean girls, like Regina George or Taffyta Muttonfudge as the kinder, smarter, superior brunettes and redheads prevail. But Elsa isn't just those things; she tries to be responsible, she's well-behaved, she's artistic, she's sensitive. She's so much we never see in Disney female leads. I think it says a lot that she is wildly more popular, more relatable, and more admirable. A problem regarding Elsa I have is, I wish most of the other fans would say the same. Most of them, like with Mulan/Belle/Ariel fans, seem to just like Elsa for her power- her ice powers and her position of royal power. She is such a tragic, selfless character, I wish she got more appreciation for it. What annoys me is that many of the SAME PEOPLE who "love" Elsa dislike the Classic princesses. I would love Elsa just as much if she had no powers, truly. My old theory that Elsa would be similar to them was proved to be correct, I'm happy to say, because we sadly don't have elegant, vulnerable, traditionally feminine characters like this anymore- they must all be outspoken, tough, adventurous, etc. who "don't need rescuing". I love the fact that the powerful snow queen is really a soft, proper, ladylike girl who does need help. Elsa has always been told to hide her powers- so really, she must hide herself. She is naturally reserved and uncomfortable in social situations, so at first this is easier for her, but to constantly repressing an enormous power she never asked for, to never be able to hug someone in case she freezes them and can't undo it? Elsa pretends she's aloof when really, as we see in the magnificent "Let It Go" seen, Elsa has a lot of passion. As Alfred Hitchcock once described his cool lead actress Grace Kelly, Elsa is also a "snow-covered volcano". She throws her passion into art, by creating a gorgeous ice palace, incredibly detailed in a Romantic style. She lets down her hair, makes a vixenish ice dress, and can drop the superwoman/career woman act- she can finally be the soft, demure girl she is, even if it means being, as she says, alone but alone and free. And she isn't just passionate- Elsa is very caring. The whole reason she pretends to be cold is because she's fixated on not hurting anyone. She couldn't bare it. She also has a playful side. She's complex, for sure, but is just as relatable as for those of us who aren't tomboys or spirited but more introverted or into being sophisticated and she isn't perfect as I've heard some say: she is pessimistic (like Aurora). She's dutiful to a fault, which ends up hurting her (like Snow White and Aurora). She doesn't assert herself much (like Aurora). You know, while she's like all three, I see a lot of parallels particularly between Elsa and our regal princess Aurora. So why like one and hate the others? Why like Elsa for more superficial reasons she has no control over anyway? To me, this is a huge slap in the face of a character who is just beautiful in her tragic selflessness and refreshingly elegant nature. Elsa naturally hides. Elsa likely wishes she could be as open with her emotions. Elsa may not care about having a ton of friends, but again, she's got a lot of feelings she wishes she didn't have to hide for fear of hurting anyone. Let It Go is about not hiding who you really are (when it isn't a negative thing, of course) and acceptance. She dealt with isolation for past thirteen years ago. Elsa has been isolated but she must now deal with facing people, and later, she accepts her self-exile as she no longer is forced to be alone- she is free. Elsa learns to love for real at the end. A tragic, complex, elegant artist who's dutiful to a fault.